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Gehlnarine Liridian
Birth and Childhood Gehlnarine was born on July 26th in the year 580 K.C. He was born as the product of an affair that Lady Giradella Hathaway Raventhorn of Gilneas had with the Stromic Colonel Fredrick Liridian. What was supposed to be one scandelous night in the Highlands turned into an illegitamate love child. Giradella went back to Gilneas, convincing her husband, Lord Davian Raventhorn that the child was his for a time. As Gehlnarine grew, it became more apparent to Lord Raventhorn that Gehlnarine shared characteristics with his mother and none with him. When he confronted Giradella and the truth came out, Davian became harsh and cruel, abusing both Gehlnarine and Giradella for her indiscretion on a regular basis. When he was ten years old, his mother gave birth to his half brother, Kelban Raventhorn. Worrying for her child's safety now that Davian had a legitimate heir, Giradella hardened herself and proceeded to give Gehlnarine a rather simple staff, a pack of supplies and sent him on his way with a trade caravan headed towards Arathor, where his birth father was from. When Gehlnarine arrived in Arathor, he was greeted with the grim news that his father had been killed in battle. He spent the next six years on the streets, watching the knights and warriors with envy, wishing he could one day become a brave Knight of Strom, defending the lands from whatever may threaten it. However, his scrawny build kept him from being on par with the other children who fantasized of epic battles and glorious victories. When he was sixteen years old, Gehlnarine became aware that he could occasionally move things with his mind and once or twice, he accidentally caught fire to a few things. It was upon further investigation that he learned that an academy existed in Hillsbrad that focused on those sorts of things. Ecstatic, Gehlnarine set off for Dalaran and was accepted into the academy. As the years passed, Gehlnarine became obsessed with magic, spending countless days and nights pouring over tomes in the libraries of Dalaran. He officially decided to focus on Abjuration as his specialization, learning to create wards and other forms of defensive magic. After graduating from the academy, Gehlnarine remained with the Kirin Tor, working as an abjurer and researcher, completing several theses on the higher forms of protective wards and charms as well as beginning research into creating a compendium of magical creatures and ways to defend oneself from said creatures. The Nexus War In the year 619 K.C., the Nexus War began. Gehlnarine aided in the moving of Dalaran to Northrend. During the war, Gehlnarine had a runespear forged. This runespear was enchanted and created specifically to detect and aid in the slaying of Blue Dragons. Gehlnarine named the runespear Dracorund. During the Nexus War, Gehlnarine slew many Blue Dragons in defense of Dalaran. It was during this time that Gehl realized his disdain for the Blue Dragonflight, thinking them either mad or pompous. Return to Arathor Many years passed, and Gehlnarine's work and efforts gained him the title of Archmage within the Kirin Tor. He made his goal to learn everything he could possibly learn about magic all while teaching others. He set off for Stormwind to create a mage circle in order to both teach and learn. At the first meeting, he was introduced to Hellissa Brisby, a fellow mage and, unbeknownst to Gehlnarine, a Duchess from Arathor. As the Duchess and he interacted more, and the days went by, he learned of where she was from and what was going on up north. After much deliberation on his part, he dissolved the barely infantile Circle and set off to return to his homeland. It was in Arathor that Gehlnarine swore his allegience to Hellissa Brisby and her household, House Ravenshadow. He was made the Court Wizard and served under her command. When she announced her position as Lady Regent of Stromgarde, Gehlnarine's responsibilities increased along with hers. The Magus Senate Not long after Hellissa's stepping down from her position as Regent, Gehlnarine was introduced to one Arranax DeVin of the Magus Senate of Dalaran. It was after a long evening of discussion that it became apparent to Gehlnarine that Dalaran was seeking to grow even further under this fairly new Senate. After discussing it later with Duchess Brisby, Gehlnarine was sent to Dalaran to meet with the Senate and become a member as an ambassador from House Ravenshadow. The more time continued on, the more Gehlnarine found a sense of home and belonging with the Senate. He threw most of his energy into being a productive member of the Senate, even eventually developing an improved filing system for the inner workings of the Senate. It was this achievement that garnered him attention from the Inner Council. The Violet Eye Under the watchful eye of the Inner Council, Gehlnarine and Arranax DeVin began speaking regarding his admittance into Arranax's unit: The Violet Eye. The Violet Eye was a secret police of sorts meant to see to the security of Dalaran and its holdings, keeping it safe from betrayal and sabotage. It wasn't until Case #1058, code named Violet Tongue that Gehlnarine had a chance to prove himself. At the time, political relations were extremely tense with the Church of the Holy Light and its affiliates. During this time, Gehlnarine learned of the presence of a 'spy' within the ranks of the Magus Senate. It came to Gehlnarine's attention that one of the Senate's newer members, one Matiff Durthan was currently working as an informant to Tenevus Stromheart of the Silver Hand. Gehlnarine reported this to Arranax immediately and Matiff was summarily interrogated. The interrogation proved unfruitful, as Matiff was under the impression that he was a sanctioned emmissary of the Silver Hand, though such an appointment was never confirmed officially with the Senate beforehand. Upon Matiff's release, Gehlnarine took it upon himself to follow the man in secret. It wasn't long until Gehlnarine recorded a conversation between Matiff and one Ritchard Elric of the Silver Hand. In this conversation, it was revealed that the Silver Hand had even more informants in the Senate. This revelation, and the events that transpired afterwards, lead to Gehlnarine's almost immediate acceptance into the Violet Eye. Within the Eye, Gehlnarine acted as Delimator; filing the paperwork and keeping track of information and classified personnel files. It was during this time that the new filing system he had created began to garner him attention from the Inner Council. The Inner Council Some time passed, and Gehlnarine's work for the Eye and the Senate gained him favor within the Inner Council of the Senate. When a position was next opened up on the Council, Gehlnarine was offered the seat. To this, he excitedly accepted. Upon acceptance to the Inner Council, Gehlnarine was made the Minister of Justice, overseeing law and order within Dalaran and its holdings. In order to do this effectively, Gehlnarine created the Dalaranian Investigation Unit (DIU) to act as Investigators and Detectives within the city. Gehlnarine placed Matiff Durthan, acquitted and pardoned for all unwitting acts against the city, as High Investigator of the Senate. During their time working together, Gehlnarine and Matiff came to call each other friend. Suicide Mission to Draenor When the dark portal turned red and the Iron Horde began to pour through, the Senate made the decision to send many of their most able on the suicide mission to close the portal from the inside. Preparing for the probability of death, those embarking saw to their wills and belongings. Gehlnarine took this opportunity to propose to the woman he loved. Lorabell Jennings and he were married the day before the mission. Gehlnarine made his new wife a promise: that he would return to her. He would use everything within his power to ensure his and the others' survival and safe return one day. To that end, he saught out Matiff to ask the man for a very large and very dark favor. Gehlnarine approached Matiff, asking him for a difficult favor; one that he had never thought he would have to ask of anyone. He asked Matiff to use the knowledge he had from his days before the Silver Hand as a warlock to ensure that Gehlnarine's obsessive personality did not cause problems for him or those around him as he began to delve into the Fel Arts. The man reluctantly agreed, and both agreed that, should Gehlnarine become corrupted, Matiff would end him. And so their work began. The Senate poured through the portal, doing their part to aid in the deactivation of the Dark Portal from the other side. Their task complete, the Senate moved to begin their fight for survival, quickly becoming split up by an Iron Horde ambush. Alone, Gehlnarine began searching Tanaan Jungle for his friend. Several days later, Matiff and Gehlnarine finally reunited, where they began their trek through Shadowmoon. Matiff felt drawn westward, and so they pressed on. While Matiff scouted ahead, Gehlnarine was ambushed by the Shadow Council and captured, taken prisoner. He was tortured regarding translations and expansions of the texts Matiff had provided as well as the text Gehlnarine had taken with him from House Raventhorn. Gehlnarine refused to give out any information. As the Shadow Council prepared to sacrifice him in one of their demonic rituals, Gehlnarine managed to loosen one of his bindings enough to free an infernal, causing enough of a distraction to free himself further. He dispatched and siphoned the fel energies of those present and entrapped their souls within soul shards. Recovering from his wounds, Gehlnarine stumbled out of Gul'var and into the path of an Elune Priestess of the Senate. Gehlnarine was taken to an encampment that the survivors of the Senate had begun to form. When Matiff found Gehlnarine, the two of them moved on towards Nagrand. Upon arriving in Nagrand, Matiff realized it was the Throne of Elements calling to him. The two split ways just near the Throne of Elements and Gehlnarine proceeded to make his way to a secluded cave. He channeled energies through an artifact he had brought with him and used it to form a time bubble within the cave. While only a few days had passed on the outside, ten years passed on the inside, where Gehlnarine poured over the texts he had with him and conversed with the demons he had learned to summon, learning all he could about the fel arts, subsisting only on mana and things brought to him by the Raventhorn House Demons. When the power in his artifact ran out and shattered, Gehlnarine emerged on the verge of insanity, but more powerful than ever. When he rejoined with Matiff and, eventually, the others in the Senate, he became the High Nethermancer of the Senate. They eventually found their way through a portal and back to their own version of Azeroth, ending the suicide mission with most of their lives intact. Corruption, Addiction and Recovery Upon their return to Dalaran, Gehlnarine continued his work as Minister of Justice. However, the High Nethermancer did not turn from the power of fel magic as he had intended once the suicide mission had ended and he was back on Azeroth safe and sound. Gehlnarine found his addiction to fel too strong, to the point where it addled his mind. Gehl's mind twisted and he became a morally reprehensible monster, finding himself making underhanded decisions and delving into a shady underworld within the magical community that, prior, had been the specialty of Arranax DeVin. It was when he went so far as to hire a hit man to silence a senator who knew too much about his activities that Gehlnarine was forced to take a look at himself. He saw what he was becoming and that he had not been as resilient to fel corruption as he once thought he would be. He withdrew into his chamber for months, unseen and unheard from by the rest of the Senate. A Falling Out The months of withdrawal and recovery were some of the most difficult and painful of his life. When he finally returned, he found himself forcibly retired from his Ministry. The Archmage understood, but was extremely unhappy with the decision not to allow him his position back. Gehlnarine was made aware that his once second in command had been striving for Gehlnarine's previous position for a long time now, and was acting actively against Gehlnarine ever since the Archmage began investigating him in depth. Gehlnarine confronted his once second in command, Andeven Icestrider, and the two fought. After a long struggle of magics, Gehlnarine was apprehended and arrested for attempted murder. The Archmage was thrown into the Hold until, upon speaking further with the Inner Council, he was cleared of the charge and set free. Gehlnarine held resentment for the Senate ever since, eventually severing himself from their membership and leaving the Senate as a section of the Kirin Tor he would only work with as needed, never again as a member. The Fall of Stromgarde When the Horde attacked and overran Stromgarde, Gehlnarine had been in the city, constructing and maintaining wards to attempt to keep those within safe. When the city was overrun and the final retreat was sounded, Gehlnarine teleported back to Sagehollow, calling for his most practiced magi, who worked with him to raise the small barony from the lands of Arathor, floating off the coast and into the clouds to join with the cluster of floating islands that make up Raingate. The Highguard Gehlnarine received a summons one day, requesting him to sit on a tribunal of justice as a judge. Gehlnarine accepted, being more than willing to pick up his legal practice once again, be it judge or attorney. He was given little to no information at all regarding what the trial was about and who it involved. Upon the beginning of the trial, Gehlnarine was made aware of the situation regarding the Suramar Campaign and the charges against Setrien Dawnlight and Aedien, brought forth by Stratus Manafont, a colleague of Gehlnarine's. As the trial pressed on, it became more and more apparent to Gehlnarine that Manafont had been mishandling evidence and was treating this case with far more suspicious behavior than he had come to expect of a ranking member of the Kirin Tor. As evidence pointed more and more towards the innocence of the Sin'Dorei, Gehlnarine's agitation with Manafont's handling of the situation reached a head. When the true culprit, the Demon Hunter responsible for the crime the Sin'Dorei had been charged with arrived on the scene, chaos ensued and the tribunal, in the midst of battle with the Demon Hunter, proclaimed the innocence of the defendants. Gehlnarine sought out Ranger Lady Aeriyth Dawnsorrow at the entrance to the sewers, offering his aid in apprehending the Demon Hunter, wanting to see this through to the end. The Ranger Lady accepted his offer and they worked with the Dominion of the Sun to subdue the Demon Hunter. However, Manafont soon arrived, proclaiming those present had interfered and made a mess of his trial. He attempted to attack or arrest those present, including Gehlnarine. The group worked together to fight off Manafont's guards and eventually subdue the Magus, who had been weaving necrotic spells through the battle. After Manafont was subdued, Gehlnarine placed him under arrest for abuse of power, miscarriage of justice, attempted murder and use of illegal magics. He was taken by Gehlnarine personally to the Violet Hold. A few weeks later, Gehlnarine met with the Ranger Lady and Sir Binor Dungalion regarding the events. After obtaining an official statement, he announced that he had been granted permissions to reach out to Aeriyth regarding replacing Manafont in the capacity of Kirin Tor representation to the Highguard. As a result, the Ranger Lady welcomed Gehlnarine to the Highguard as an official Kirin Tor emissary, hoping that such representation will keep things like the Manafont incident from ever happening again.